The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of June 19
It's a big fight week!
Keith Thurman and Shawn Porter are set to do battle for the WBA Welterweight Championship Saturday night at the Barclays Center. The fight is a long time coming and will go a long way toward settling the dust at the top of a crowded and talented welterweight division.
Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward's huge pay-per-view showdown for the light heavyweight championship has a date and a site. That should make fans feel better after seeing big fight after big fight go down the proverbial tubes.
Next, we look at Anthony Joshua's heavyweight title defense Saturday, the resolution of the Canelo Alvarez lawsuit and Joe Smith Jr.'s big knockout win over Andrzej Fonfara.
These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week.
Who Emerges from Thurman-Porter?
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Thurman (27) and Porter (28) are set to do battle Saturday night in Brooklyn, New York, in a highly anticipated welterweight showdown between two of the division's top young fighters. It's a long time coming, with some stop-and-start negotiations and a delay earlier this year, but it promises to be an exciting action fight.
The 147-pound division is wide-open territory since the retirements of pound-for-pound superstars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. A lot of good young fighters have the talent to make a claim for the throne, and this is the type of fight that will help someone emerge.
Thurman is an undefeated power puncher who holds the full WBA Welterweight Championship. His lack of recent activity has hurt him (he stopped veteran Luis Collazo in his last fight nearly a year ago), and he needs a good performance to get back on track.
Porter was penned by many as the future of the division after he took a world title from Devon Alexander and then successfully defended it with a blitzkrieg knockout of Paulie Malignaggi.
He dropped it in surprisingly lopsided fashion to Kell Brook in August 2014 but rebounded by winning the "Battle of Ohio" over Adrien Broner last year to return to the mix at the top level of the division.
This is a high-level fight between two skilled, young fighters who are looking to make their mark. It will also have a huge impact on the future of what has traditionally been one of boxing's most exciting and meaningful divisions.
Don't miss it.
Is Kovalev-Ward the Perfect 50-50 Matchup?
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Kovalev and Ward have finalized their agreement to fight November 19 on HBO pay-per-view at the recently opened T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
The two sides agreed to the basic parameters of the fight months ago, but finalizing the official date and site will go a long way toward soothing the nerves of fight fans.
The choice of venue came down to Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena) and New York City (Madison Square Garden), but Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said the decision to head to the Nevada desert had to do with ease of access and affordability for media, per Rafael.
Kovalev has fought twice in Sin City, though neither fight remotely resembled the magnitude of this event, and Ward, despite being one of boxing's pound-for-pound best, has never fought in Vegas, preferring the familiar surroundings of the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, for most of his recent fights.
Both men still need to clear one hurdle before the fight becomes official.
Kovalev will defend his unified light heavyweight titles against veteran contender Isaac Chilemba July 11 in his native Russia.
Ward will also take an interim bout, likely on August 6 against an opponent yet to be named. Rafael (h/t Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook) reported in May that the three most likely names to land that assignment are former champ Nathan Cleverly, rising contender Erik Skoglund and Alexander Brand.
Assuming both men win, which seems likely, we'll get to see (as of now) the most significant fight of the 2016 boxing year.
Can AJ Continue His Rise to the Top?
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Joshua was tabbed by many as a future star shortly after he turned pro, but that timeline jumped forward when he challenged for a world championship in a fight most believed he would win without too much difficulty.
The towering Brit, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, tattooed American Charles Martin to capture the IBF Heavyweight Championship via second-round knockout in April. He's stopped all 16 opponents he's faced since leaving the amateurs for the pro ranks in 2013 and seems the total heavyweight package.
He signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime and will make the first defense of his title Saturday in London against American challenger Dominic Breazeale.
Breazeale was also a competitor at the 2012 London Olympic Games and told Bleacher Report in December that the experience lit a fire under him to become heavyweight champion of the world. He has that chance now, even if his stock has taken a few hits with struggles in recent performances.
Joshua is the heavy favorite to retain his title and continue his rise toward potential showdowns with fellow undefeated champions Tyson Fury—who defends the recognized heavyweight title in a rematch with longtime former champ Wladimir Klitschko July 9—and Deontay Wilder, who will put his WBC title on the line against Chris Arreola one week later in Alabama.
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Does Lawsuit Resolution Bring Us Closer to Canelo-GGG?
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Canelo Alvarez might be a little lighter in his wallet if a court judgment against the Mexican superstar stands, but he has one large option looming that could make plenty of those Benjamins back.
Rafael reports that Canelo has been ordered to pay $8.5 million to former All-Star Boxing promoter Felix Zabala stemming from a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
That's small change compared to the numbers thrown around by Zabala and Co., who alleged that Canelo violated his contract by signing with Golden Boy Promotions. Golden Boy was accused of tortuous interference but absolved in the matter.
Golden Boy says it will help Canelo appeal, but even so, this brings to end the heavy lifting of a case that dragged on for several years.
The settlement of the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court six years ago, removes a significant impediment to negotiations between Canelo, the lineal middleweight champion, and Gennady Golovkin, the unified 160-pound champ and the division’s best fighter.
Oscar De La Hoya, representing Canelo, and Tom Loeffler, representing Golovkin, were supposed to open negotiations for what would be the biggest fight in boxing shortly after the Mexican star flattened Amir Khan in May.
When Canelo dropped his title to avoid the WBC’s mandated negotiating deadline, both the fighter and his team were skewered on social media for appearing to duck GGG.
Much of it was deserved, since it was Canelo who opened that can of worms by challenging his Kazakh rival with some tough talk and nasty words before chucking his belt in the proverbial trash can.
With all outside factors removed, it's time to get down to the business of that fight. If not, then you can expect the criticism to continue. The clock is ticking, but you might not want to hold your breath.
Welcome to the Party, Joe Smith Jr.
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OK, raise your hand if you saw this one coming.
Now put it down because you're a liar.
Smith, a union worker from Long Island who is known as a big punching tough guy in the New York boxing scene, was a massive underdog when he stepped through the ropes to face former title challenger Fonfara at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday night.
He was expected to lose, and probably without much resistance.
But that's why we fight the fights.
Smith jumped on Fonfara and dropped him with a precision right hand that ultimately was the difference in a stunning opening-round knockout for the Irish underdog. Fonfara was considered one of the division's best fighters (perhaps slotting in just behind champions Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson), and this result was a shocking statement.
It signaled the arrival of a new contender—one with confidence, power and you can bet quite a few more fans after he scored a stunning upset in front of a national television audience.
That's as big a performance as you can give, and it put the kid from Long Island on the map in a big way.
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